Finding the New Normal in Marketing

We are all feeling it– the devastating impact of our current state of affairs.  First, the COVID-19 pandemic – which is still in full swing, then the riots following George Floyd’s murder – causing many cities to shut down marketplaces and businesses to be looted and burned to the ground.  We are seeing an economic and social down-spiral that leaves many of us to wonder – what do we do next?

\As far as the economical impact, it is safe to say the business landscape has drastically changed.  But, businesses can still sustain themselves and recover from today’s economic crises by changing up their marketing strategies to reflect new consumer habits.

Along with impacting human life, today’s crises are negatively influencing the global business and economy. It’s a challenge to market during a crisis and at the same time plan for the future. Industries are not able to operate effectively in this challenging situation. This has made marketing more critical and complex than ever for many businesses.

We have already seen a behavioral shift - people spending more time at home and on the internet. Since people are still semi-quarantined, there are more eyeballs browsing online than before and people are consuming more digital content on all fronts.

In general, keep up the following and your business can continue to thrive.

Be smart

Work smart and be ready to tackle the challenges ahead and retain existing customers. This is a unique time, when a small allure can result in huge gains for business. This is not the time to panic. Many big companies are using smart marketing and advertising campaigns to promote positivity and communicate important messages.  Small businesses should too.

Be social

It is essential to keep in touch with customers. It's cheaper to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one.  Everyone is glued to social media right now! With increased reach, engagement and time spent on social platforms, businesses should NOT pause their social media efforts. Social media helps put you in front of where your target audience is already browsing.  While doing this, connect with your customers with compassion and empathy. Start an awareness campaign that may inspire, ignite people to cope with the current situation.  And please refrain from the “We’re in this together” statement.  It is overused and actually false. (Are you in the same boat as Fortune 500 CEOs?)

Be visible

It’s the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.  If you stop marketing, you’ll be forgotten.  While consumers are scouring digital platforms, this is a great opportunity for your business to improve its online visibility, which means driving visitors to the website to capture future sales. If you haven’t updated your website to meet today’s marketplace, that should be your first investment.  Consumers will bounce right off your homepage if they do not like what they see or read.  One of the best times to get found by potential clients is ensuring that they can find what they want at every point of the purchasing lifecycle.

In a recession period, some choose to make the unfortunate decision to cut or eliminate their SEO budgets. Their rankings will hold for a few weeks and then start to slip as Google's algorithms begin to recognize that there's nothing new or interesting happening on their site. Every time a site drops in rankings, another one moves up. DON’T cut your SEO and SEM budget because it will eventually help to reach customers in a more cost-efficient and quicker way.

Be strategic

There is no one-size-fits-all method in the digital marketing domain. Consumer sentiments and behavior has changed and will continue to change. Be strategic when planning both for the short and long terms. Your plan should be implementation-ready no matter how much notice you have to put it into place.

Be measurable

Measuring means tracking marketing spend. Brands need to be measured against success criteria: sales, numbers of hits, queries, numbers of leads, or referrals etc.  Utilize Google Analytics, social media ROI and any other analytical tools you already have in place to get a comprehensive picture of your status. 'If you don't measure, then you can't manage'. And if you're not managing, then you could be pouring money down the drain.

Be creative

'Necessity is the mother of invention'. Measure success and learn from the experiment. If marketing budgets are tight, then knowing what works makes it easier to make the decision of where to invest. Whatever experiment we do; it should be quick, cheap, and easy to deliver.

Be truthful

The real opportunity is for businesses to really focus on developing transparent messaging across the board.  If you want to stay in the minds of your customers, you need to be proactive and aware no matter the crisis we/you are facing.  For now, that means keeping messages fresh and reminding clients that your business is still in the game. Make sure you are delivering the right message to the right person at the right time in an honest manner.

Be smart

When the economy seems to be crashing, some businesses seem to go into hibernation mode. But, you should take this time to re-think, re-adjust, re-define and upgrade marketing efforts. Now is the time  to enhance digital communication and deliver great experiences at each point of the customer journey.

As the “new normal” continues to define itself, so should your marketing tactics.  We are all becoming more and more accustomed to adapting, your marketing should be adaptable too.  Not sure how to readjust your marketing priorities during this exceptionally unique time? SK Consulting can help!

Which Comes First – The Branding or The Marketing?

Too many times, individuals use the terms branding and marketing interchangeably (and marketing and advertising – but that’s a topic for another time).  Yes, sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between branding and marketing but the more they are used as substitutes for one another, the more confusion there is.  Both are vital to the success of your business, but for different reasons.

Difference between Branding and Marketing

Branding is why. Marketing is how.

Branding is long-term. Marketing is short-term.

Branding is big-picture. Marketing is strategic, focused and single-minded.

Branding is strategic. Marketing is tactical.

Branding begins inside your organization. Marketing begins with the consumer.

The most successful companies – regardless of size – focus on both branding and marketing. The combination is powerful. The order in which branding and marketing is approached matters.

Branding comes first. Marketing comes second.

It’s tempting to jump right into marketing. After all, your ultimate goal is sales, and marketing is the strategy used to optimize for sales. But if your strategy is based only on the quality of your product and service, you are at a serious disadvantage. Competitors can offer the same or perhaps a superior product and service.

What is your differentiator?  What is your why?  Who are you and why should consumers care?

Building awareness is important. Consumers need to understand how your product or service solves their problems. You need to figure out how to connect with your consumer, and the sooner you can figure that out, the sooner the cash flows. But at some point, the consumer will look past the hype to see if the brand truly matters to them.

Marketing is your message. Your brand is who you are.

Your brand lives in the hearts and minds of your customers and your prospects. It’s what they think when they hear or see your name. Your brand is based on a wide range of experiences and perceptions, some of which you can control and some of which you can’t.

The ways consumers interact with and assess products and services has changed dramatically over time. Consumers are increasingly tuning out marketing and advertising and are digging deeper to better understand the brand behind the product or service.

If you invest time and effort into understanding your brand, the ways it connects with consumers on an emotional level and how to effectively communicate it across the customer experience, you are much more likely to see a return on your marketing strategies. The more emotion consumers have invested in your brand, the more likely they are to buy from you.

Brands that engage with consumers, showing their personality and sharing their values, surpass their competitors. These brands hear their customers, and ultimately the customers hear the important message – our brand matters because….

Marketing helps find and motivate buyers. Branding creates loyal customers and advocates.

Your brand is your promise to consumers. It’s about the experience they can expect when they interact with your brand. Your brand allows consumers to anticipate future behavior because it is built on consistent behavior. In fact, the more consistent the behavior has been in the past, the more quickly the brand can convince consumers they “understand” what your brand is all about.

Remember, marketing is what you do to attract people to your brand with your message or brand promise.  Your brand is how you keep that promise with the brand experience.

Need help determining your brand and developing a strategic marketing plan?  Contact SK Consulting today.  From concept to creation to implementation – we’re there with you every step of the way.

Get Your Head IN The Clouds – Tips to Marketing Your Cloud Communications Business

Basic marketing principles can and should be implemented by all businesses in every industry.  However, some fields require extra thought – about industry growth, competition, end users and analytics – and your marketing team should be in the know if they want to effectively and efficiently market your business.  Let’s take cloud computing and software – not a sexy topic, but a booming realm nonetheless. As new cloud applications emerge and the landscape evolves, vendor collaboration will continue to emerge as hybrid solutions unite public and private infrastructures under one management framework.

For marketers, these shifting buying habits means untapped opportunity. Ready or not, there are insights and tactics marketers should take advantage of — and win over — the changing cloud marketplace.

Before diving into strategies for cloud providers to succeed in their marketing efforts, here are a few unique challenges to consider when it comes to your customer’s shifting approaches to Cloud Service Providers.

1. Strengthening decision-maker relationships

It’s extremely difficult to win over the entire buying committee. If your organization does not have existing relationships with primary decision-makers and influencers, breaking outside of the IT room can be difficult.  So, start small…start now.

2. Meeting new security risks and demands

Cloud services have a bad reputation when it comes to security risk. It’s your responsibility to proactively address concerns early and often with prospective clients. Start by sharing exactly what measures your organization is taking to create high-quality, secure cloud network.

3. Storytelling

The cloud technology market is flooded, and it’s tough to cut through those leading the pack to tell your unique story. Hone your pitch into a few pieces of engaging and concise content that is easily consumable. This takes time, money, and bandwidth that many marketers do not always have. The best content is educational — cloud buyers span multiple verticals and levels of expertise and it’s your job to bring them up to speed.

4. Falling behind the curve

Products, services and initiatives are constantly changing in the market, and these shifts are not slowing down. For cloud-based companies that get caught behind the times, the results could be disastrous. Keep educated on the direction the industry is headed in order to stay ahead of the curve.

Stand Out and Stand Above Competition

In order to overcome the aforementioned challenges, you must find ways to stand out in a robust and ever-changing market.

1. Position your company as more than a cloud vendor; position it as a differentiated IT partner

 Consumer CSPs have essentially made cloud computing a household name, but more can be done with cross-model expertise when it comes to public, private, and hybrid solutions. As CSPs become an integral part of IT strategy, companies must make known that they are more than just another vendor. Show how your product will lead to stronger, more successful organizations — and showcase your differentiating factors. Is it data encryption that is compliant with industry regulation? Is it speed and business availability when data recovery must be done quickly? Is it location and storage power? How important is your customer experience and transparency? Offering remote management and accessible support teams will put executives at ease and put you above the rest.

2. Leverage Account Based Marketing (ABM) to target both prospects and customers to upsell and grow your business

Adopting an Account Based Marketing (ABM) strategy is a powerful way to increase your brand’s relevance and drive ROI from your marketing efforts. Find ways to get you in front of the contacts and decision-makers that matter most, enabling you to become a stronger, more visible force within cloud’s competitive landscape.

3. Help customers understand the level of security your cloud service can provide

Many consumers still believe that cloud services do not have the same level of security that the data center does. Your company needs to help customers understand that this is no longer the case. Educate them on the ways that your solution can provide enterprise-grade security that extends beyond the capabilities of the data center.

4. Fill in your customer's storage gaps

Again, position your organization as a strategic IT partner. Your customers may have holes in their offerings around storage, and you can provide the platform for marketing and selling their data management and hosting services. By understanding their unique needs, you can fill the gaps and provide a more holistic service.

Cloud marketers have a huge responsibility, which is only going to increase in complexity as new solutions are introduced to the market and competition continues to roar. Companies need to stay ahead of the curve and continually seek to understand the changing cloud market and find new and innovate ways to reach and educate target audiences.

Effectively Marketing Your Global Software Company

There is a lot of content out in the cyber sphere to help small business owners and entrepreneurs develop and implement their marketing strategy.  We’ve written a lot about that too.  But, it is important to note that global companies benefit from a strategic and concise marketing plan as well. 

More often than not, national and international companies have large teams dedicated to the entire marketing spectrum.  But, it’s tough to manage such a large team, hold them accountable and obtain the KPIs needed to determine if the ROI is positive or not.

It’s also tough to determine the starting point.

Let’s take a global software company as an example.  A strong marketing strategy for this industry isn’t as easy as it may sound.  Tech marketers have to clearly convey the complexities of their products and services, while fighting for a spot among a market flooded with new technologies. To stand out, you need to take your brand’s marketing strategy to the next level.

Developing a Quality Marketing Strategy for Software Companies

It isn’t enough to get a few placements in a trade publication or invest in a few Google Ad Words to achieve maximum brand exposure. A good marketing strategy for software companies requires a multi-platform approach backed by an experienced, talented team that can turn the spotlight toward your company and products.

• Tell your brand’s unique, personal story. Many tech companies make the mistake of giving in to overly technical jargon in their communications. While you need to explain exactly what your software offers, don’t forget to personalize your marketing efforts. Tell the story of how your software has changed businesses for the better. Also, weigh in on broader conversations in your industry to establish yourself as a thought leader.  What is the problem you are solving and what do customers have to say about it?
• Understand who is buying your product. When it comes to software, the buyer journey isn’t always obvious (especially for B2B companies) because the user isn’t necessarily the one making purchasing decisions. A marketing strategy for software companies might target buyers, users, purchase influencers and even the C-suite. You need to develop thorough, accurate buyer personas that guide your web design and digital marketing process to ensure you’re reaching the people who actually make buying decisions. Decision makers receive a lot of proposals and pitches – make sure yours speaks to their needs and include the differentiator.
• Invest in social media for the long run. It’s easy to build a Facebook page, but it’s harder to master the platform. You need to commit to investing time and money in your social strategy. While many companies quickly dole out social media responsibilities to part-time interns, use an experienced, talented communicator that can effectively represent your brand. More often than not, you get what you pay for.  Understand where your target audience is getting their information and invest in those platforms accordingly.
• Employ a steady, consistent SEO strategy. Like social media, SEO is not necessarily a quick and easy endeavor. A robust online presence comes gradually. Don’t abandon your SEO efforts if you don’t see immediate effects. To get real results, you need consistent keyword research and shareable content that will cement your website as an information hub and boost rankings on search engines. Again, what is the problem your product or service addresses?  What are your prospective clients searching for?  Do you have the right terms embedded in the content throughout your website, marketing collateral and other platforms?

If you work for a software company or other technical company, make sure you employ the right team to translate and properly promote your services.  The landscape for your industry is quite competitive, so you have to be smart in how you define, promote and sell your products.  

If you don’t have the budget of a Fortune 500 company, but do compete with them, contact the team at SK Consulting.  Our dedicated team helps maximize your exposure while minimizing your cost.  From concept to creation to implementation – we’re there for you every step of the way!

Content Strategy, Content Marketing. What’s the Difference?

Content strategy and content marketing are often confused and treated as interchangeable words. But, they’re actually two very different things. 

To give you a visual – think of content marketing as a pie and content strategy as the plate on which it is set.  Tasty, but the difference goes deeper.

What is Content Marketing?

Think of content marketing as one aspect of your complete content strategy. It is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

Typically, the content used for content marketing guides individuals through the sales funnel.  It serves to attract customers and build meaningful relationships with them. 

That includes content in the form of:

• Blog posts
• Case studies
• Social media posts
• eBooks
• Whitepapers
• Landing page copy
• Email marketing copy

All of these content types help to form the foundation of a content strategy. 

What is Content Strategy?

Content strategy refers to the overarching plan you have for every piece of content related to your business. Content strategy concerns itself with the vision—the ins and outs of how and why your content will be created, managed, and eventually archived or updated.

Think of content strategy as a building blueprint.

Blueprints are mapped out and confirmed before any building work begins. Your content strategy should work in the same way, outlining the objectives of your content, as well as the delivery of it.

However, content strategies shouldn’t be set in stone, either. New channels, devices and trends are constantly emerging.  Your strategy needs to be fluid enough to accommodate changes. Ask yourself the following before moving forward with content distribution:

• Why are we creating this content?
• What audiences do we want to address?
• What kind of actions and reactions do we want to achieve?
• How will we promote the content once it’s published?
• How will our audience find our content?
• Where and when will you be publishing your content?
• Who is in charge of creating your content?
• How will you maintain your brand style across various platforms?

Fully executing your content strategy will take a lot more than just answering the questions above, but they should help provide a workable foundation.

1. Set Measurable and Achievable Goals

In order to measure the success of your content marketing campaign, have clearly defined goals and objectives. Each piece of content should be created in order to achieve a desired end result. That might include more leads for your business, increased email sign-ups or more social media followers.

On the flip side, if you publish content based on a whim, you’ll fall short of adding to the message your brand was set up to convey, and end up diluting it instead. 

2. Build Journeys

In addition to aligning your content with your organization’s goals, you need to include the journey you want your audience to take. The content you publish on social media and on your website shapes that journey.

The goal of your content should be to speak to prospects at multiple points throughout their journey to inform them further and thus guide them down your sales funnel. From the time they first come in contact with your company, to when they finally make the decision to buy from you — you should have content for every step of the way.

3. Choose Content Types

Producing content is great, but what kind of content best conveys the message of your organization? You may want to consider things like infographics, YouTube videos, testimonials, and other content types to complement your standard blog posts.

4. Define Distribution and Promotion Channels

Once your content is created, where will you send it? Identifying the most relevant channels for your organization is the key to gaining more traffic and converting more customers. 

You need to think about the most suitable social networks to focus on.  Where does your audience live?  Are they on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn?  Find the online communities that allow for engagement with your current and prospect base.

5. Create an Editorial Calendar

Your content strategy and marketing efforts need to come together like clockwork, and this is where your editorial calendar comes into play. Your calendar should outline when and where content should be published, right down to the most active times of the day for each channel. 

Serving Separate Purposes

There is a significant overlap between content strategy and content marketing efforts — and yet they serve separate purposes.

Content strategy explains the whys and hows that overarch every piece of content created. Content marketing is made up of the processes that work to create and promote that content. 

Many organizations jump right into dishing out content before ever stopping to think about the underlying strategy. The solution is to implement both short-term and long-term content strategies that will help you build a focal point based upon your content marketing goals. 

Need help creating a content strategy?  SK Consulting can help!  From concept.  To creation.  To Implementation.  We’re there for you every step of the way!

Understanding Your Brand Message and Local Marketing Strategy

Branding goes way beyond a tagline and a logo.

The most important component is cultivating a strong brand message that resonates with your target audience. If you hop right into marketing tactics, you’re missing more than half of the equation. Start with research, hone your message, develop a plan and then implement strategies.  This process will set you up for success.

Conduct Local Market Research

When creating a marketing strategy, the first step is always to get an understanding of what it is that your target market actually wants. If you don’t, you may miss the mark completely and your marketing efforts will fall on deaf ears.

For local marketing, you also have to consider the location of your audience. So, answer the following questions:

• How large of a geographical area do you serve?
• If you have a brick-and-mortar office, how far are people willing to physically travel to get your services?
• How large is your local market?
• How many competitors do you have? What are their unique selling points?

Answering these questions will lay the foundation for your market research. Starting too broad will be a waste of your time, and you will spend energy focusing on people and competitors that aren’t relevant to your business.

Creating a Profile of Your Ideal Client

Understanding your audience is the best way to create a branding strategy that resonates with them.

To do this, create an “Ideal Client” profile to figure out who they are, what they want, what they need, and where they are searching for services like yours.

• What are their top three pain points?
• What solutions have they tried already?
• What did they like about those solutions? What did they dislike?
• How old are they?
• What is their income level?
• What values are they looking for in the business they work with?
• What online platforms do they spend the most time on?
• Where do they go to find brands like yours? (i.e., Google, social media, referrals)

This information will help you determine:

• What unique selling point (USP) should be used to make your brand stand out.
• What services you should offer that your audience will be most interested in.
• What tone to use in your marketing and website content.
• What platforms you should market on.

Once you have your market research, it’s time to master your brand messaging and engage on the right platforms in order to get in front of your audience.

Master Your Brand Message

Your market research should tell you what it is that your audience values and needs most.

Knowing this, you can position your brand to appeal directly to them saying, “Hey. We get you. This is why you should work with us.”

Your brand message should include:

• Brand Values: What do you stand for?
• Your Unique Selling Point: What makes you better than your competitors?
• Tone: Is your audience looking for professionalism? Humor? Directness?
• Benefits: What benefits do your services provide?
• Calls-to-Action: What actions do you want people to take when they see your brand?

The Brand Messaging Formula

Many brands think that branding comes down to brand colors, a logo, and a catchy tagline. Unfortunately, they focus too much on what they want and not enough on what their audience is looking for.

If you are going to create a brand message or tagline, it should put your audience front and center.  For example:

 “We help [ audience ] in [area] [ achieve benefit ] through [ services ] that [features].”

This can be replicated for any brand and can even be applied to individual service pages throughout your website.

Build Strategic Partnerships

Local marketing can be especially difficult if your audience isn’t highly engaged online. How do you tap into that market?

By building strategic partnerships with local businesses.

If you are a boutique pet store, you could build partnerships with local animal shelters.  Provide discounts to those who adopt a rescue animal.  If you are a building material manufacturer, build partnerships with local contractors who could be incentivized to use your materials and send business your way. In return, offer discounts on building materials and refer customers to them for their projects.

Focus on Mutual Benefit

These kinds of relationships can work in person and online. The goal is to build relationships that are mutually beneficial and funnel leads for each other.

You can build these partnerships through outreach and content marketing, LinkedIn and email marketing. Just be sure to communicate the value that’s provided to each partner and that values align.

Share Targeted Content on Social Media

If your market research determines that your audience is active on social media, it’s time to create content that grabs their attention. Many brands worry too much about “hacking” the algorithm and sharing content across all social media platforms. You don’t have to do that.

You simply want to share content that makes your audience say, “Wow – that sounds like me!” and entices them to read more.

You want to focus on content that’s:

• Informative.
• Accurate.
• Relevant.
• Timely.
• Well-Written.
• Engaging.

Don’t focus on:

• Sharing your latest blog post without a caption.
• Stock images of people with a call-out to “Contact us for help today!”
• An update about what’s happened in your office this week.
• A trending video of a cat (even if it is hilarious).

Social media marketing is more about sharing value than it is about consistency or mastering the algorithm. Share what your audience wants to see to keep them coming back for more.

Attend Networking Events

Even online it can be easy to stay in our own little “bubble”. People value human connection, making networking and in-person marketing highly effective.

Not only will attending local networking events help you build strategic partnerships, but you may also brush shoulders with some big players in your industry. With an introduction and shared interests, they may turn into a potential client or partner.

Ad Campaigns

Whether it’s digital or traditional media, the only guaranteed coverage of your business, product, sale, etc. is to spend money.  Though the trend is moving more to Google and Facebook ads, your market research should tell you where to grab your target audience. That being said, if you don’t understand how to utilize different advertising platforms, enlist the help of experts to maximize your dollars and your reach.

What Does This All Mean?

Before focusing on marketing techniques, you need to gain a solid understanding of what the local market wants and where they are searching for the services that they want.

Without market research and a strong brand message, local brands will waste time and money focusing on the wrong demographic.

Need help with your brand messaging and target marketing?  Contact SK Consulting.  From concept. To creation. To Implementation.  We’re there for you every step of the way!

Don’t Settle for Mediocre Marketing

The word fluffy can be used to describe a wide variety of things – a puppy, a diet-cramping dessert, a new bath towel.  All of those are acceptable.  But, when your marketing efforts are referred to or proven to be ‘fluffy’, that’s not a good thing.  That means it is not measurable, not accountable and it is unclear how it impacts the business – it’s mediocre. 

As a business owner, you need to understand what your message is, what your products and/or services are, and how you want to effectively market them.  We can all learn a lesson from Unilever’s founder Lord Leverhulme who stated, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, and the problem is I do not know which half.”

Turn Fluffy into Functional and Fortuitous

Think of a chair. It may be a fairly beautiful chair; imagine its intricate carvings and a polish that reflects a flawless finish. But chairs aren’t for viewing.  They’re functional purpose is for sitting.

At the crucial moment of trust, we place a significant measure of personal pleasure or pain, joy or embarrassment in the functionality of a chair. No one desires to come crashing to the floor due to a mediocre chair construction process.

No one strives for mediocrity.

We all know that mediocrity is the result (at best) of minimal effort. Mediocrity simply accepts things as they are and does not push beyond normal desire to make anything better. Mediocrity, when accepted, is the acknowledgement that the goal isn’t truly worth pursuing and not valuable in the eyes of the pursuer. It is laziness in not finding new avenues to reach a desired goal…to think outside the proverbial box.

Does anyone value mediocrity? Is there any honor or prestige that accompanies that level of effort? Quite honestly, we all experience inherent shame in knowing that the effort could have been better and that it should have produced a more excellent result.

Commit to excellence instead.

In many ways, the concept of excellence is the foundation to all other guiding values in life. We may desire knowledge, wealth, or accomplishment; but, without a standard of excellence to measure our effort, we may be left with an empty hand or a half-finished journey. We are left with very little satisfaction from what we desire. Excellence frames for us a standard by which we measure everything we do. By setting a high standard of excellence, we convey a desire to do everything in the best way possible.

Most people will respond well to excellence. They will value the product of an excellent process, and they will trust the builder of the product if they see a commitment to an excellent method.

Now think of the well-made chair.

Imagine a chair made by an excellent craftsman, with hands skilled in the art of weight distribution and fingers controlled by a mind that is driven by excellence. The mind that is ever growing, ever improving, and seeking a better, more efficient way to build a better chair. The chair becomes more beautiful and sturdier, benefiting you and all who sit upon it.

Just like chairs, everything we build, or make, or do in this life should be done with a commitment to excellence.

Commit to excellence in both what you do and how you do it.

At SK Consulting, we don’t build chairs.  But, we do create effective and efficient marketing campaigns and materials – building trust within your target audience.  Don’t be mediocre in your marketing efforts.  Hire the experts who will help you not just reach your goals, but exceed them.

From concept to creation to implementation – SK Consulting is there with you every step of the way!

To Outsource or Not to Outsource – That is the Marketing Question

As a business owner trying to grow your business on a budget, you may be inclined to try to conduct your own marketing. After all, no one knows your company and its offerings better than you, and there are websites and software that will allow you to take care of many of the necessary aspects on your own. But it’s worth asking yourself a few questions before you make any decisions about this. 

Do you have the time to research, strategize and create compelling marketing campaigns? Do you know how to measure success? Can you tell the difference between effective and ineffective marketing? If not, it may be time for you to consider outsourcing your marketing and advertising.

Why You Should Consider Outsourcing

Effective marketing is extremely important for businesses of all sizes, but it is especially important for small businesses and startups. In many cases, small business owners and startups are competing against larger companies with deeper pockets and larger staffs. Even for medium and large companies, consistent marketing helps your company remain relevant and expands your potential reach.

No matter the size of your company or how long it has been in business, effective marketing increases revenue, builds industry authority, strengthens your brand, develops customer loyalty and increases the overall value of your business.

If you’ve been handling your own marketing up to this point, you may be unsure if outsourcing would be worth it for you. Here are some signs that it may be time to begin outsourcing your marketing:

Benefits of Outsourcing Your Marketing

If you’re looking to take your company to the next level, investing more time and energy in your marketing is a must. But rather than attempting a trial-and-error, shooting-from-the-hip approach, it’s better to trust your marketing to a professional or a business that specializes in strategic marketing. 

Here are some benefits of outsourcing:

1. New Ideas: Bringing in an outside professional(s) to work on your advertising brings in a new flow of ideas for your marketing initiatives. A third party can and should add different perspectives that you haven’t considered.
2. Proven Techniques: Rather than playing the guessing game, a marketing and advertising professional already knows what works and what doesn’t. They’ve conducted market research and will be able to create a sound strategy based off of their experience.
3. Expand Your Team at a Fraction of the Cost: What would it cost you to add marketing professionals to your staff? Aside from paying high salaries and benefits, you would also have to provide office space and up-to-date computers and software. Outsourcing your marketing department saves you money in the short and long terms.
4. Objectivity: It can be difficult for business owners to be completely objective about their products and services, just as it can be for them to be objective about their current marketing strategies. An outside business will bring a fresh opinion and offer objective advice about what you should be doing.
5. Save Time and Focus on Your Business: Market research, developing a strategy, creating an advertising budget and designing ads takes time. This is time you could be spending on serving your customers and growing your business.
6. No Staffing Problems: Even if you do have a dedicated employee or department for marketing, you still have to worry about sick days, vacations and leaves of absence. A third-party company will eliminate staffing concerns.
7. Growth: One of the best ways to grow your business is to invest in marketing. Working with a professional advertising agency will help your business grow more than attempting to do your own marketing.
8. Return on Investment: Return on investment is a major metric in the marketing industry. Many business owners are unsure of how much bang for their buck they’re getting. Meanwhile, advertising agencies obsess over measurements like this, which will maximize your budget.
9. Measure Results: You have to know what’s working and what’s not. Even the most well-constructed marketing strategies will require some tweaking to adjust to what is and isn’t successful. If you aren’t measuring, how can you tell? Professional marketers measure everything.

As tempting as it may be for you to try and handle your own marketing, it’s not recommended. Unless you have the skills and experience to be successful, this is a bad strategy that will likely cost you time and money. To maximize your results, time and budget, work with a reputable company that cares about your business and its success. 

Social Media is More than a Promotional Platform

A common mistake that many people make as they're diving into social media is to limit their content to promotional updates. This is reflective of the traditional marketing world, but things have changed; now we build our marketing efforts on trust, engagement, and community.

There is, of course, a time and place for marketing and promotional messages, but don't limit yourself. Broaden your scope a bit. This will make your content more appealing and lessen the burden of creation.

What type of content can and should you post?

Adjacent content: It's a pretty safe bet that if someone is following you they're interested in what you offer and their interests probably don't stop there. Share content that's tangentially relevant to your business or something involving common interests of your audience. If you are a clothing retailer, you could post about up-and-coming beauty trends or news from a major designer.

Tips and tricks: Add value to the conversation by sharing content that will make your customers' lives easier (bonus points for tips and tricks that help them use your products or services).

Responses: Not every update has to stem from original ideas of yours; you can bounce off the ideas that other people are already posting. Social media relies on conversations, so jump in and be a part of them. This is a good way to get your account and brand more visibility.

Non-promotional company information: If your company does amazing volunteer work in your community, don't be shy about sharing it! If there's a rather impressive showing at a company party, you definitely want to share that. Giving a sneak peek into the culture within an organization goes a long way to building relationships by humanizing the brand.

Job openings: Social channels can be advantageous when trying to find new talent and publicize job openings. Job seekers are increasingly using social media as a way of learning about companies and their open positions; it's a match made in Internet heaven. Get those listings out there and be sure to highlight the most important ones.

Jokes: This is a tricky one, and it's more of a branding question than anything else. First, know what your brand is and what kind of personality it embodies. If humor is not a part of that, you might avoid this type of post. It can backfire and be incredibly awkward. Always err on the side of caution with sensitive topics. Once you've made sure the humor is acceptable, make sure it's actually funny, because a bad joke is just embarrassing.

Frequency of updates

"How often do I need to update my account?" is a common question, and there is no right or wrong answer here—no best practice set in stone. It simply depends on your audience, their appetite, and what you have to say. It's best to test and see what works best for you and your audience on each platform.

One universal fact is that social media status updates don't last long. The half-life of a tweet is around 18 minutes for most users. This doesn’t mean you should post that often, but that sending an update out doesn't mean it will remain visible for a long time. Users move on to more recent items in their newsfeeds quite quickly. So, keep an eye on how long your users are engaging and sharing something.

Again, it all depends on what is appropriate for your organization. News organizations or media publications could easily be expected to update multiple-to-many times per day, whereas a clothing retailer may turn off users. You definitely don't want to talk just for the sake of talking; if you don't have anything of value to add, don't post updates just to meet a quota. But, you do want to make sure your account updates regularly enough to entice users to follow along.

Engaging Your Audience

Ask for help: Want your community to help or participate in a particular way? Sometimes it's as simple as asking. If you've earned their allegiance by building value and investment into the relationship, you can ask for survey participation, product feedback, or whatever else you need.

Keep it simple: Too many options may as well be no options. If your audience isn't on a certain network, why would you promote that sharing option on your content? Conversely, if your main focus is B2B, you may (for example) not need to include Pinterest as a sharing option. Look at your social audience and match up your offerings with their behaviors.

Cross-promote for discoverability: There's nothing worse for a user than not being able to find your content. Ensure your blog is linked to your social properties. Keep all of your profile names the same across all social channels. Develop and sell a unique value proposition for each account. Why would a customer need to or want to follow you on Twitter, if they already follow you on Facebook? Make sure you give them a reason.

Monitor and listen: Monitor social channels as frequently as you can. Utilize services that will help push notifications to you so you can ensure you're not missing meaningful conversations across the web. There are countless apps for Twitter and Facebook available, and you can set up alerts, as well. Often the admin tools of various platforms will have this functionality built in. As you monitor, genuinely listen to what your customers tell you and respond accordingly.

Gamify: People enjoy competition and like being rewarded for achievements. Do a like and share contest for a chance to win tickets, a gift card, a free consultation.  Whatever works for your organization.

Social media is a great marketing tool – if it’s done right.  Inundating your platforms with useless information, posts, tweets, etc. is just downright annoying.  Be relevant!  If you need help developing your social media plan, contact the experts at SK Consulting!